Respite from the Heart 2007

Respite From The Heart 2007

This year we had a fabulous time at Respite from the Heart! The event was held at Terrace Park in Vallejo- it was a great site. The office staff provided the drinks, ribs, chicken, burgers, hotdogs, and appropriate fixin's. Our guests (respite care providers, families, and other loved ones) brought plent of side dishes for us to munch and crunch on. Highlights included fresh lumpia, a yummy broccoli bake, and LOTS of dessert!

Courtesy of Meyer's, all of our respite care providers were able to take home a prize. Meyer's had donated over 800lbs of goods to our agency- this meant everyone chose from an assorted pile of kitchen goods that ranged from fry pans to stock pots to digital thermometers. We also had great donations from places like the Berkeley Rep. Theater, the Lindsay Wildlife Museum, the SF Wax Museum, and the Jelly Belly Factory.

Our softball game was a real hit! Like previous years, it was office staff and their families versus the respite care providers and their families. Both sides had full rosters- most of the office staff played, including Jeannet, Vanessa, Teasha, Stacey, and Helen. The RCP team included Eugene Holbert, Simone Pauline, Steven Dunn, Pam Hardy and Rob Pevahouse. We even had two of our clients whack some balls- Raymond Laing and Lacey Culloty. Way to go!! The sad news is that the final score was 13 - 6, respite care providers winning. But we plan on snatching back our victory next year- so watch out respite care providers!!

All but one of our award winners was able to make it to the festivities. This year our Exceptional Service Award winners were: Maritess McCarthy, Mary Bodden, Barbara Shepherd, and Cheryl Raleigh. This award is given to rcp's whose families have nominated them because of the exceptional care they provide to their children. We also had two Golden Brickhouse winners- Sarah Wiggins and Annie Clark. The program coordination staff chose these two winners because they have gone above and beyond the call of duty for Bay Respite Care. We introduced a new award this year- Just Shoot Me. The winners, JoAnn Tutor and Eugene Holbert, have faced some of our most difficult or unusual situations during their bookings and they still want to work for us! Our Sonoma "In a Pinch" winner was Sheyna Douprea, the North Bay "In a Pinch" award went to Felicia Parker, and the East Bay winner was Rob Pevahouse. These three workers consistantly accept emergency bookings in their areas. However, the office staff feels that ALL of our workers are winners as you provide an indespensible service to our families. THANK YOU!!!

Exceptional Service award winner Barbara Shepherd and husband.